Columbia Union School District teacher salaries

Columbia Union School District is an elementary school district in Tuolumne County, with its district office in Columbia. Pay starts at $50,073 on the first step. The largest group (99%) is on the STRAIGHT LINE SCHEDULE column, which climbs to $89,560 by step 25.

Lowest

$50,073

STRAIGHT LINE SCHEDULE, step 1

Average salary on the teacher schedule1

$68,012

  • $7,357 below Tuolumne County average
  • $35,540 below California average

Highest

$89,560

STRAIGHT LINE SCHEDULE, step 25

Columbia Union average

Tuolumne County average$75,369

California average$103,552above the highest salary here

Full-time equivalents on the schedule
29
Starting salary
$50,073
STRAIGHT LINE SCHEDULE, step 1
Median salary
$70,617
Half earn more, half earn less
Average pay rank in California
771st of 828 reporting
of 828 reporting

Does Columbia Union pay teachers more than the median California district?

Line up all 828 reporting California districts from the lowest average salary to the highest. The one in the middle is the median district: half the districts pay a lower average, half pay a higher one. A median isn't pulled up or down by a few unusually high- or low-paying districts, so it shows what a typical district pays.

No

Columbia Union's average of $68,012 is below the middle California district's $94,573.

All 828 reporting districts in California

Columbia Union ranks 771st of 828.

Columbia Union
$50k$100k$150k

Middle district: $94,573

The 9 reporting districts in Tuolumne County

Columbia Union ranks 9th of 9, below the middle district.

Columbia Union
$80k

Middle district: $72,017

Each bar counts the districts whose average salary falls in a $5,000 band. The dashed line marks the median district.

What BA+98, steps and credentials mean

Teacher pay in California is set by a grid. Two things place you on it: how long you've taught and how much college you've done.

Step
Steps go up with years of service. Step 5 on Columbia Union's STRAIGHT LINE SCHEDULE column pays $55,053. Experienced teachers joining Columbia Union can be placed as high as step 16.
Column, such as BA+98
Your bachelor's degree (BA) plus the college semester units you've completed since. BA+98 means a bachelor's plus 98 more units. More units, higher column.

How fast does a teacher's salary grow at Columbia Union?

Pick a column and a step to see the salary, and how far it is from the top.

$64,444

a year at step 10. This column tops out at $89,560 on step 25.

$89,560$50,073
Step 1Step 25
Chosen columnOther columns, same type

Columbia Union's full salary schedule, 2024-252

No single cell here has 5 or more full-time equivalents, so none is shaded. 45% of Columbia Union's full-time equivalents are on step 15 or higher.

StepSTRAIGHT LINE SCHEDULE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25

Swipe the table sideways for more columns.

Tap any salary to see how many full-time equivalents are paid it and follow it on the chart above.

Full-time equivalents in a cell
  1. 5+
  5. 0
Cells with fewer than 5 stay unshaded. Bold figures sit in the three darkest shades.Striped cells: this column has no salary at that step.

Bonuses, health cover and work days at Columbia Union

Bonuses are paid on top of the schedule, in the amounts the district reported.2 Teachers are exempt from federal overtime pay.3 Extra pay for coaching, clubs and similar duties isn't part of this report.

Questions about teacher pay at Columbia Union

How much do Columbia Union teachers make?

The average salary on Columbia Union's teacher schedule is $68,012 a year (2024-25). The salary schedule runs from $50,073 (STRAIGHT LINE SCHEDULE, step 1) to $89,560 (STRAIGHT LINE SCHEDULE, step 25).

What does a new teacher earn at Columbia Union?

The schedule starts at $50,073 (STRAIGHT LINE SCHEDULE, step 1). Teachers who bring experience from another district can start as high as step 16.

How long does it take to reach the top of the Columbia Union pay scale?

On the STRAIGHT LINE SCHEDULE column, where 99% of full-time equivalents are paid, pay keeps rising until step 25, where it reaches $89,560. Steps go up with years of service.

Does a master's degree raise pay at Columbia Union?

Yes, in two ways. The college units from a master's move you to a higher column on the schedule, and Columbia Union reports a master's bonus of $1,500 on top. For a doctorate it reports $1,000.

Is Columbia Union teacher pay high for California?

Columbia Union's average salary on the teacher schedule ranks 771st of the 828 California school districts and county offices of education that reported and 9th of 9 in Tuolumne County. Across all of them, the average salary on teacher schedules is $103,552 statewide and $75,369 in Tuolumne County.

Keep exploring teacher pay in Tuolumne County

Sources for the Columbia Union figures

Salaries are the annual amounts on the district's certificated salary schedule. Following the state's definitions, they leave out extended-year pay, bonuses and extra-curricular pay such as coaching. Counts are full-time equivalents, so two half-time teachers count as one, and they can include counselors, nurses and librarians paid on the same schedule. County averages, ranks and percentages are our own arithmetic on these figures; our statewide average matches the state's published $103,552.

  1. California Department of Education, Selected Certificated Salaries and Related Statistics, 2024-25, Table I: average salary paid, raise on last year, highest starting step. The median salary is our own calculation from source 2.
  2. Columbia Union's report to the California Department of Education, Form J-90 database, 2024-25: salary schedule, full-time equivalents per cell, bonuses, health contributions, work days.
  3. U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #17D: Exemption for Professional Employees Under the FLSA: teachers are exempt from federal overtime pay.

How we read the data